Levulose from soluble nonsugar carbohydrates of the dahlia



' in any NEED WILLIAM C. ARSEM, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO INDUSTRIAL TECH- NICS CORPORATION, OF SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK,A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

LEVULOSE FROM SOLUBLE nonsuean oAaBoHYnnA'rEsoF' THE DAHLIA.

No Drawing.

sugar carbohydrates remaining. in the liquid or juice ,from dahlia bulbs, Jerusalem artichoke, chicory, and similar plants been removed.

It has been found that a elecampane, and burdock from which the inulin has low cost sugar in the form of syrup, crystals, powder and the like, which can be substituted for sucrose, can be' obtained from inulin-bearing plants by removing the juice, extracting the inulin and hydrolyzing it .to

produce levulose.

Thus, in my copending application, Seria- No. 424.459, filed 1927) I have of extracting inulin from November 16, 1920, (now granted February 1, disclosed and claimed a process dahlia bulbs and the like in which the bulbs are comminuted to separate the juice from the vegetable material, the juice then clarified and the inulin subsequently separated therefrom. After the juice has been clarified, the inulin may be separated by crystallization.

contain other non-sugar carbohycannot be removed by crystalbe hydrolyzed to prohowever, drates which lization but which can duce levulose and the levulose then separated from the liquid. Thus,

by hydrolyzing the non-sugar carbohydrates contained, in the juice of inulin-bearing plants, after the 11111- lin has been removed, I increase the amount of levulose recovered.

I accordingly hydrolyze this liquid, or the non-sugar carbohydrates in the liquid, and

separate the methods may non-sugar carbohydrates.

levulose therefrom.- Various be employed to hydrolyze the Practically any of the methods now employed for producing.

levulose by hydrolysis may erably employ the metho Serial No. 484,153,

copending application,

be used. I prefrlisclosed in my filed July 12, 1921 (now Patent No. 1,616,169,

granted February 1, 1927), uid is submitted to wherein the liqthe action of an acid selected concentration and the action continued until the value of the negative rotation of polarized light produced by the solution passes through a maximum negative value, then decreases and again increases and second maximum negative passes through a rotation of polarized light.

liquid have been entirely bohydrates of the converted into levulose,

When the ear the levulose pro- The juices,

Application filed January31, 1927. Serial No. 165,044.

duced by the hydrolysis may be separated from the liquid by concentrating the solution to a desired point, preferably about 90 per cent, and seeding with levulose crystals. The llquid, however, contains certain organic compounds which may impart an undesirable flavor to the product and instead of first removing thelevulose, these impurities, a large fraction of which are of a fermentable nature,

can be removed by treatment with a suitable fermentingagent. After the hydrolysis, trypsm or other fermenting agent the solution may be cooled and pepsin,

added and fermentation permitted to continue until the broken d protein impurities are own. The

' levulose may then be removed from the solut10n in the manner described above.

In a typical embodiment of the the juice of the dahlia bulbs or other inulin bearing plants is first separated Vegetable material. This may b commmutmg invention,

from the e done by the inulin-bearing plants and expressing the sap therefrom, obtaining a llquid contain ng inulin in a more or less solid form or in the form of a colloid assoties into such form that their subsequent removal by filtration is rendered easier.

somewhat Various methods of clarifying the juice may beemployed, but I prefer to employ the process disclosed in my application, Serial No. 424,459, inv which the initial clarification of the inulin-containing juice is effected by adding to the juice substantially equivalent amounts of calcium and calcium chloride.

' After the juice has been clarified, the inuhydroxide lin may be separated therefrom in any de: sired manner. Thus, the juice may be neutralized, or brought to near the neutral I point by the addition of acid and evaporated until the concentration of inulin is about 10 per cent or more. The solution may then be permitted to cool and acetic acid added until the concentration of the acetic acid is about .01 N. The separation of the inulin may then be completed by adding powdered inulin or a suspension of inulin in water to the solution to act as seed;

After the inulin has been separated from the juice, the liquid contains non-sugar car-' bohydrates which cannot be re moved by crystallization, but which, I have found, may be converted into levulose by hydrolys1s. carbohydrates remaining in the liquid after the inulin has been removed. This maybe done in various ways but I prefer to hydrolyze these carbohydrates by the method dis- I closed in my copending application, Serial No. 484,153. The uice is placed in an acidproof vessel provided with an agitator and heating meansand is heated to a temperature of about 100. C. with continuous stirrin Various acids may be employed in hydrolyzing the non-sugar carbohydrates. Tartaric acid may be employed and is added to the heated liquid in an amount necessary to make the solution .005 N, assuming that the tartaric acid functions as a mono-basic acid, only the first I-I ion being active. The proper amount of tartaric acid based on the amount of carbohydrates present in the liquid is added to the heated solution and the heating continued for two or three hours or until approximately 100 per cent of the non- 69 culture or mould.

performed, i

sugar carbohydrates has been converted into levulose as determined by polariscopic tests, as described in my copending application, Serial No. 484,153.

After the hydrolysis of the mixture, the solution may be concentrated by evaporatioh under reduced pressure at a low temperature until it contains about 90 per cent levulose and the levulose ma remove the. levulose rom the liquid it is first cooled, then seeded with levulose crystals and then agitated until a certainquantity of levulose is crystallized out. The crystals may be freed fromthe molasses by centrifuging, and the latter may be'again, concentrated by evaporation as before, and a sec- 0nd crop of levulose crystals may be obtained. The liquid containing the nonisug'ar carbohydrates also contains certain organic substances which may impart an undesirable flavor to the product. These er before or after hydrolyzi-lfg. A large .fraction of the impurities is of a fermentable natiiie and can be removed by treatment with a suitable ferment, enzyme, bacterial Thus, the syrup may be cooled to about 37 and pepsin or other ferment added, In place of pepsin, I may emloy trypsin. After the fermenting agent as been added, fermentation'is permitted to I go on until the protein impurities are broken fermentation, the liquid may be hydrolyzed pin the manner described above, or if the hydrolysis has already been the levulose may be separated from the syrup by concentrating and seeding asheretofore described.

claimz, f o 1 :-";The herein described process consisting essentially of hydrolyzing the non-sugar car- I accordingly hydrolyze the non-sugar then be removed. To-

impurities may be removed by fermenting, e1

bohydrates contained in the residue after inulin has been recovered from the juice of inulin-bearing plants, and separating the levulose formed from the juice.

2. The herein described process consisting essentially of hydrolyzing the non-sugar carbohydrates contained in the residue after inulin has been recovered from the juice of inulin-bearing plants, fermenting to remove impurities and separating the levulose formed from the juice. 1

3. The herein described process consisting essentially of hydrolyzing the non-sugar carbohydrates contained in the residue after inulin has been recovered from the juice of inulin-bearing plants, concentrating. the-solution and removing the levulose formed by seeding it with levulose crystals.

4. The herein described process consisting essentially of adding suflicient acid to the residue remainingafter inulin has been recovered from inulin-bearing plants to hydrolyze the non-sugar carbohydrates remaining in the juice and heating the juice to hydrolyze it and form levulose.

5. The herein described process consisting essentially of adding sufiicient acid to the residue remaining after inulin has been recovered from inulin-bearing plants to hydrolyze the non-sugar carbohydrates remaining in the juice, heating the juice to hydrolyze it and form levulose, and fermenting the juice to remove organic impurities.

6. The herein described process consisting essentially of adding sufficient acid to the residue remaining after inulin has been recovered from inulin-bearing plants to hydrolyze the non-sugar carbohydrates remaining and form levulose, and concentrating the solution to separate the levulose therefrom.

7. The herein described process consisting essentially of hydrolyzing the non-sugar carbohydrates contained in the residue after inulin has been recovered from the juice ofinulin-bearing ilants, evaporating the solution under reduced pressure and at low temperature until concentrated to substantially 90 percent levulose and removing the levulose from the solution.

8. The herein described process consisting essentially of adding sufficient acid to the residue remaining after inulin has been recovered from the juice of inulin-bearing plants to hydrolyze non-sugar,carbohydrates contained therein, heating the juice to hydrolyze the non-sugar carbohydrates and form levulose, evaporating the resulting product under reducedpressure and at alow temperature until it is concentrated to substantially 90 per cent levulose and separating the levulose therefrom.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature.

WILLIAM c. ARs 'EM. 

